Big news out of Blade Show: Chris Reeve Knives is bringing not one, but two new fixed blade models to Atlanta event. The Inyoni and Backpacker are arriving alongside the long-awaited tanto and Insingo blade shapes for the Inkosi.
Inyoni
“Inyoni” means “Bird” in the Zulu language; it’s a fitting sobriquet for this little fixie, a clean, modern take on the bird and trout knife. The Inyoni is actually a vintage Chris Reeve design, having been originally drawn up during the shop’s founding days. The production version of the Inyoni was available from 2007 to 2013, so nowadays the only place you’re likely to see one is secondhand, priced for collectors.
Although it is descends directly from this knife, the 2022 Inyoni makes changes across the board. It has a slightly smaller, 3.38-inch drop point blade, capable of hard work but also light and easy to maneuver. The grip is divided into two long, shallow grooves, which follows the original’s profile quite closely; however, whereas the ’07 Inyoni had only a small material onlay for accent purposes, the ’22 model has full letterboxed scales, made from either natural or gray canvas Micarta.
Backpacker
Bigger than the Inyoni, the Backpaker’s blade runs to just over 4 inches in length, and is much broader. The scaled up specs allow the Backpacker to be exactly what it says on the tin: an all-purpose companion knife for outdoorsmen. Its handle profile matches that of its little brother, with everything (scales included) bigged up for the larger overall knife.
Both the Backpacker and the Inyoni will be offered with S45VN steel out of the gate, although CRK has indicated that shortly thereafter they’ll be transitioning the lines to Magnacut. The knives are up on the CRK site today, and arriving with dealers in the near(ish) future.
Knife in Featured Image: [Top to bottom] Chris Reeve Knives Inyoni, Backpacker
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